Ambulance crashes and drivers stranded in snow as massive freeze continues

Motorists have been trapped in blizzards and an ambulance overturned in heavy snow as the large freeze continued to convey chaos to Britain forward of a thaw on Sunday.

Police, gritters and tractors went to assist trapped drivers in a serious rescue operation on the A9 within the Highlands yesterday when autos turned caught within the snow.

High winds and drifting snow made the street impassable and efforts to achieve them and assist them to security took a number of hours. The street’s snow gates have been closed at Helmsdale and Dunbeath and police suggested folks to keep away from travelling within the space.

This morning, temperatures fell to -9C (16F) in Dorset and -8C (18F) in West London, Oxfordshire and Hampshire at first of one other day of sub-zero circumstances.

Stormy climate will comply with this Sunday with 4in (100mm) of rain and 70mph gusts on the way in which. But a giant 20C temperature swing will then sweep away the Arctic chill and make elements of southern England as delicate because the French Riviera by early subsequent week. 

Bear Scotland – which manages Scotland’s trunk roads – shared footage on-line of gritters battling the weather to clear drifting snow from the A9.

Last evening, Police Scotland mentioned: ‘The A9 between Helmsdale and Dunbeath stays closed attributable to excessive winds and drifting snow making the street circumstances impassable.’

Several different roads, together with stretches of the A836 and A897, have been closed.

An ambulance additionally crashed off the A98 and overturned in heavy snow yesterday in Aberdeenshire. No one on board is believed to have been damage within the accident.

This weekend, Atlantic frontal methods are attributable to sweep in, with temperatures initially rising to 11C (52F) in South West England tomorrow.

And by Monday and Tuesday, daytime highs of as much as 15C (59F) are attainable in southern England.

Benson, in Oxfordshire, which was England’s coldest place on Monday evening into Tuesday, falling to -8.3C (17F), is about to achieve 13C (55F) through the day by this coming Tuesday, a distinction of over 21C.

Britain’s highest temperatures early subsequent week, underneath the milder air, are set to be on a par with these in Nice, on the south coast of France.

Strong winds and heavy rain are set to accompany the milder climate, nonetheless, and a warning for gales has been issued masking the western half of the nation on Sunday.

An amber climate warning was in power for the Highlands, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland yesterday as forecasters mentioned 4 to eight inches of snow may fall.

More than 350 faculties remained shut. Around 15,000 pupils within the Highland Council space have been affected, and all faculties within the Northern and Western Isles, in addition to most of these in Aberdeenshire, have been closed.

Yellow alerts for snow and ice stay in impact throughout Scotland right now, with the Met Office warning wintry showers may convey disruption to move and journey.

A warning masking northern Scotland has been prolonged east into the Grampian area and throughout the Northern Isles.

The warning is in place till 3pm right now, whereas an identical alert throughout Scotland’s south, together with Glasgow and Edinburgh, expires at 12pm.

Elsewhere right now, yellow warnings for ice are in place for a lot of Northern Ireland and the western coast of England and Wales till 10am.

Overnight temperatures in Scotland once more fell beneath freezing, with information indicating that the mercury dipped to -10C in Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway, at round 8pm final evening.

However, the mercury climbed upward within the area from then on, with the identical village sitting at -1C at 5am this morning, as per preliminary Met Office information.

From tomorrow to Monday the climate is forecast to show milder, with moist and windy circumstances anticipated by the weekend and into subsequent week.

The heaviest rain is predicted on Sunday – with 30mm to 50mm falling broadly and the potential for peaks of 80mm to 100mm over hills, the forecaster mentioned.

Milder circumstances may also outcome within the thaw of mendacity snow.

A yellow climate warning for rain has been issued for Sunday and Monday, masking many of the nation, with a yellow wind warning issued for elements of Scotland.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist David Hayter mentioned: ‘Conditions will keep chilly on Friday however a change in climate kind is on the way in which, bringing milder air for the UK through the course of the weekend.

‘This change will initially be comparatively benign by way of climate impacts, with a dry Friday and begin to Saturday for a lot of within the south of the UK.

‘The Atlantic affect will then introduce some moist and windy climate, with a deep space of low strain approaching from the west on Sunday.

‘While element remains to be being labored out, we count on windy climate for a lot of and a few heavy rain within the west and so we have issued warnings for Sunday for wind and rain.

‘Watch out for updates to those warnings on Friday and Saturday because the forecast develops.’

Scotland might not benefit from the dry spell skilled by a lot of the nation, with showers persevering with on Friday and into Saturday.